Rolling-mill.



No. PATLNTED 00T. zo

' J. w. OPPUTL] ROLLING MILL.

PPLITION FILED AUG. 6, 1902*.

No' ltonLL.

Wfn'esses lfH/emorl A John woffuff I mi 1y: Nowms PETERS co., moro-mwa.,w'AsHmaToN. n. c.-

No. 741,702. v i

UNITED STATES Patented October 20, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. OFFUTT, OF ELLWOOD CITY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ROLLING-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 741,702, dated October20, 1903.

Application filed August 6. 1902. Serial No. 118,678. (No model.) Y

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:A

Be it known that I, JOHN W. OFEUTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ellwood City, in the State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Rolling-Mills, of which thefollowing is a specification, accompanied by drawings.

My invention relates to rolling-mills, more particularly to mills forrolling tubular bilro lets; and its objects are to improve upon theconstruction of vsuch mills and to simplify and cheapen the cost ofrolling tubes.

Further objects of my invention will hereinafter appear; and to theseends my invention consists in rolling-mill apparatus for carrying outthe above objects and having a general mode of operation substantiallyas hereinafter fully described and shown in this specification andaccompanying drawings, in

no which- Figure l is a longitudinal side elevation of apparatusembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 isadetail view of the roller-driving mechanism. Fig.

z 5 4 is a detail view of the mandrel-cooling connections, and Fig. is adetail view of the mechanism for shifting and rotating the mandrol-bars,Referring to the drawings, upon a suitable 3o frame A are arranged pairsof rolls B B and C C, as shown, there being two pairsof rolls, and inthis instance a plurality of mandrelbars D are provided for the rolls,each having a mandrel E, as usual, over which the l tubular billet isadapted to be passed, the

apparatus being adapted for hot-rolling seamless tubes from hollowbillets. As shown in the drawings and according to my invention, thesets of rolls B B and C C are arranged in 4o tandem along the line ofthe billet-pass and means are provided for opening one pair of rollsWhile closing the other, and'this operation may be carried outalternately. In other words, the pairs of rolls may be alternatelyopened and closed. Thel sets of rolls are adapted to rotate in oppositedirections, so that the billet going through the closed rolls will passfreely through the open rolls, even although they are rotating inopposite direc- 5o tions.

In the operation of lthe apparatus the tubular billet is passed throughthe closed pair of rolls, as B, the rolls C being open, and then themandrel bar or bars D are shifted to bring the mandrel E between theopen rollsl C, which are then closed and the billet run back through theclosed rolls.

In order to operate the rolls, suitable means are provided, shown inthis instance as rocking frames F, suitably pivoted at G and carryingthe upper rolls B C. Means are provided for rocking the frames F, asshown, screw-threaded shafts H extending downwardly through the frame Aof the machine and bearing at their lower ends on the bearing-blocks Ion the frames F, the upper ends of the shafts being provided withpinionsJ, meshing with a rack K, connected to be operated by suitablemeans, as an engine, a portion of the cylinder L only of which is 7o.shown in the drawings. Movement of the piston-rod and rack K in onedirection will cause vertical movement of the rods H inI such manner asto depress one side of the frames F and all'ow the other to be elevated,75 the reverseaction taking place when the rack K moves in an oppositedirection.

Means are provided for balancing one of the upper of the pairs of'rollsagainst the other, the frames F or carrier being hung from the 8o-housing-cap of the frame B and, as described,

free to turn about the point of support, in this instance the supportbeing a bolt U, provided with a eompression-springV to take up all theslack 'motion of screws, bearings, 85 and other operative parts. It willbe seen that the rolls being supported in this manner areself-balancing.

Suitable means are provided for driving the rolls, in this instance theybeing driven by 9o four (4) pinions O, arranged as shown in Fig. 3, thepower being transmitted by spindles in the usual manner. As seenin Fig.3,

each driving-pinion O meshes with twoother driving-pinions, or, in otherwords, each of the pinions is in gear at two portions of itscircumference.

In order to move the mandrel-bars D longitudinally, a driving-shaft P isprovided with cranks Q, connected to the cross-head R by Ico links S,the driving-shaft being connected to be rotated through ahalf-revolution by means of a steam or air cylinder T or other suitablemeans. When in a rear or forward position, the cranks are on thedead-center, thus giving a rigid support to the bars. The length of thecranks Q should be substantially equal to one-half of the horizontaldistance between the centers of the two sets of rolls, slightly more orslightly less, as the case may be, if it is found that better resultsmay be had by placing the plug or mandrel in advance of or behind thevertical center line of the rolls.

Means are provided for rotating the mandrel-bars D about longitudinalaxes, preferably while said bars are being brought to the rear position,a quarter of a turn being given in order that the billet thereon will bein proper position for the return pass. As the bar is drawn back at thesame time that it is turned, the turning of the billet will bepract-ically positive. Any suitable means may be provided for turningthe bars, as shown, there being gears W at the ends of the bars, whichare driven by a gear X on a drivingshaft Y, connected to be driven fromthe crank-shaft P, as by a worm and wheel Z, the connections being soproportioned that a halfrevolution of the crank-shaft P produces aquarter-turn of the bars. The shaftY is free to slide through itsgearing as it travels with the cross-head. The plug or mandrel E beingbrought to its rear position, the rear rolls C are closed down to theirworking position, while the front rolls B are opened and the billet isrolled olf the bar.

The mandrel-bars and mandrels are provided with cooling means, as shownin the drawings, each mandrel E being provided with a cooling-space orwater-space a, and connections are provided for forcing cooling liquidwithin said space and within the mandrel. In this instance the waterconnections extend through the mandrel-bars D, and a small pressure willcause enough water to fill the space a within the mandrel and cause itto escape at each end thereof, thus preventing the mandrel from becomingheated to a high temperature. The fluid may escape at each end of themandrel by being forced out between the mandrel-bar and mandrel. Asshown in Fig. 4, the mandrel does not have an absolutely tight fit uponthe mandrel-bar, there being sufficient looseness between the two toafford provision for the escape of the fluid between the mandrel and thebar.

I do not herein claim the improvements relating to the forin of mandreland mandrelbar, as this is not proper subject-matter to be claimed inthis case, together with the remaining claims; but I reserve the rightto make a separate application for said subjectmatter at a future date.

Obviously some features of my invention may be used without others, andmy invention may be embodied in widely varying forms.

Therefore, without enumerating equivalents nor limiting myself to theconstruction shown and described, I claim, and desire to obtain byLetters Patent, the following:

l. In a rolling-mill, the combination of two sets of rolls rotating inopposite directions, a mandrel-bar and mandrel and means for operatingthe same, and means for opening one set of rolls and simultaneouslyclosing the other set, for substantially the purposes set forth.

2. In a rolling-mill, the combination of two sets of rolls rotating inopposite directions, a mandrel-bar and mandrel, and means for moving themandrel from one set of rolls to the other, and operative meansconnected to automatically open one set of rolls and simultaneouslyclose the other set,for substantially the purposes set forth.

3. In a rolling-mill, the combination of sets of rolls rotating inopposite directions arranged in tandem along the line of the billetpass,a mandrel-bar and mandrel and means for moving the mandrel from one setof rolls to the other and for holding it in position, and means foropening one set of rolls while closing the other, substantially as setforth.

4. In a rolling-mill, the combination of sets of rolls, means foropening one set of rolls and simultaneously closing the other set, amandrel-bar, means for moving the said bar from one set of rollsl toanother, and means for turning the bar about its longitudinal axis, forsubstantially the purposes set forth.

5. In a rolling-mill, the combination of sets of rolls, means foropening one set of rolls and simultaneously closing the other set, amandrel-bar, and means for shifting said bar from one set of rolls toanother and means for simultaneously turningitabontalongitudinal axis,for substantially the purposes set forth.

6. In a rolling-mill, the' combination with the frame, of two pairs ofupper and lower rolls arranged in tandem along the line of thebilletpass, and operative connections between the upper rolls pivotedfor movement relatively to the frame, whereby one roll is balanced bythe other during rolling, for substantially the purposes set forth.

7. In a rolling-mill, the combination of two pairs of rolls arranged intandem along the line of the pass, and a driving-pinion for each roll,each of said pinions meshing with two other of said driVing-pinions,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN W. OFFUTT.

W'itnesses:

H. M. ORnsswELL, L. Ronnors.u

ICO

